


At the beginning (with you)

by diaryofafunnyfan



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Makoto and Sousuke are such good and supportive best friends~, getting together fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 04:59:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9419807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diaryofafunnyfan/pseuds/diaryofafunnyfan
Summary: Haruka didn't only make a decision about his future career in Australia.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Those two doves at the end of ES12 will be the death of me and having the mook interview confirm that scene was meant to mirror the final scene of ES? How is rinharu for real?

It had been a long time coming, Haruka had to think. At the age of 12, he never imagined his life would be changed and his world would be affected so much by an annoying transfer student with wine coloured hair. Still, pondering back over the past five years, Haruka wouldn’t change a thing for the world. Despite all of their clashing and misunderstandings, he was on the best terms he had ever been with Rin. All of the emotional turmoil had been worth it when Rin appeared out of nowhere on his doorstep after his world of safety had been shattered and his stress had reached its peak.

 

As he recalled it, seeing Rin’s dazzling presence at his doorstep had been a breath of fresh air and Haruka almost instinctively packed his belongings and followed after him. While on the plane, Haruka couldn’t help but feel like it had always been this way; Rin automatically getting his way and Haruka chasing after him. Following after him through the airport in Sydney had been annoying. Rin had been too cryptic to give him any decent responses to his important question. As he sat wearily in the strange park, he suddenly noticed Rin was gone. Haruka’s heart sped up. Not again, he wouldn’t up and leave him again, would he? Not here, not in a foreign country where Haruka didn’t even speak the language!

The desperation in his voice couldn’t be contained as he called out the name he felt owned part of his soul, ‘Rin!’

            _‘After the relay, I’m going to Australia.’_

_‘I quit swimming…’_

_‘That means I’ll never swim with you again. Never…’_

His heart nearly burst when Haruka heard that darned voice say his name. He was relieved to see Rin standing in front of him. After Haruka reprimanded Rin for suddenly leaving him in the crowd, Rin’s face fell. He awkwardly sat next to Haruka on the park bench. Words Haruka had never expected to hear coming out of Rin’s mouth surprised him. An apology was not something Haruka ever wanted from Rin, but it was nice to hear. Also, seeing how relieved Rin felt after apologising… maybe doing the same for Makoto could be just as easy? Then, Rin did the thing he seemed to do best: shake up Haruka’s world.

‘I do want you to know this; I’ve always… admired you.’ Rin’s sincere gaze and his words sent a small spark of glee through Haruka’s crushed spirit. He fought down a small smile, settling for a look of surprise instead. The moment didn’t last long, as Rin was back to business, ready to take off. Despite this, Haruka couldn’t stop staring at the young man he called his rival (he found himself staring like that a lot). Rin’s gentle look was reassuring, but still not enough to help Haruka’s heart.

A romantic person like Rin would choose a beach as a place to relax. Despite being near water, the pressure and hurt he felt made him not want to swim. After Rin’s typical teasing, Rin hit the nail on the head and guessed about his fight with Makoto. After confessing it to be his first fight, Rin did something strange. He started talking about his past and how he felt when he first arrived in Australia. Hearing Rin wistfully describe using the ocean as a gateway to home was not how Haruka had thought the conversation would go. What was he trying to accomplish by telling him this? Then, Rin recalled even more about his time in Australia. How awkward it had been and how much of a failure he had felt like. Rin’s strange attitude the day they met each other at the train tracks, and the cold stranger he reunited with the previous year made even more sense. Then, Rin had to do the taboo, start talking about dreams.

‘I’ve heard enough. I get that while I stayed in Iwatobi, you saw all kinds of things and had all kinds of experiences.’ This loud and ambitious boy who didn’t take no for an answer, who transferred schools near the end of the year just to swim a relay with a certain person, the driven young man who left his home country, dedicated to perfecting his swimming. Rin already had a clear vision of what he wanted for his future and was determined to get it. A small town kid with no plan for the future, who only swam free and typically refused to do anything too difficult, and who had only just recently tried taking competitive swimming seriously again couldn’t compare. Haruka had to wonder why a shining person like Rin had said he admired him.

With the sunset to their backs and an understanding smile on his face, Rin lead Haruka to a residential area nearby. The couple that greeted Rin seemed friendly, hugging Rin with large smiles on their faces. Through the English, Haruka understood the words ‘swimming’ and his own name. Haruka’s head perked to attention, hearing his name come from these strangers. Rin called Haruka over to the couple, introducing them as his homestay parents.

Haruka awkwardly approached the adults. He tried reminding Rin about his lack of confidence in his English. Before he could, the man introduced himself as Russell and used a warm greeting. The woman, Lori, mentioned Rin, also with a kind smile. Shyly, Haruka introduced himself in his best English. A dog rushed up to Haruka, sniffing him happily. The host family laughed, and Rin said Winnie liked him too. Russell and Lori both welcomed Haruka to Australia with smiles. Seeing how happy Rin was with his homestay parents, and how kind said parents were, was a surprise. Hadn’t Rin just told him about how defeated he felt when he left Australia?

Haruka was glad the others didn’t expect him to interact with them as dinner was being cooked. He was content to just spend time with Winnie the dog. Dogs didn’t judge you or pressure you. Lori called Haruka inside for dinner, and he thanked her for the food. He then heard Lori talk, using his name and Rin’s. Rin claimed Lori described his cool attitude and clear as water eyes. Russell asked Haruka about his swimming style, which made Haruka suspicious. How did they know that? Rin tried passing it off, before Lori mentioned both his own and Rin’s names again, before winking. That was strange. What was she talking about? Rin protested against Lori’s words and sulked when Haruka asked for clarification before awkwardly admitting how he used to talk about him. Judging by Rin’s blush and sheepishness, Haruka wasn’t sure he was telling the entire truth. Lori and Russell continued to speak to Rin, and judging by their tones and faces, it wasn’t a happy topic, but after the conversation was over, Lori invited Haruka to eat the mackerel she had cooked. How had she known he liked it? How much did Rin tell his host parents about him? While the family talked, Haruka’s eyes travelled over to the photos on the dressing cabinet in the sitting room. One picture was of a happy Rin with an equally happy Russell and Lori. Haruka’s eyes lit up. Rin hadn’t been completely unhappy during his time away from Iwatobi. Rin’s words from the beach came back, _‘It felt like my friends were just across the ocean.’_ Rin had been happy at one point during his training abroad, and he still kept his friends close to his heart, and despite a crushing spiral of defeat, Rin managed to gain his old friends back. Leaving home does not mean losing everything. This made Haruka start to think.

After dinner, Lori and Russell dropped the two boys off in a fancy looking part of the city. As the adults drove off and Rin waved goodbye, Haruka stared at him. He wanted to tell Rin how he thought he understood what Rin was trying to say earlier at the beach. When he had the opportunity, the words couldn’t come out.

After checking in at their hotel, Rin lead Haruka up the stairs to their room. Surprisingly, there was only one bed. Did the receptionist think he and Rin were dating? Well, maybe that type of thing is normal for Australia. The idea wasn’t entirely unpleasant, and Haruka would be lying if he said he didn’t want to share a bed with Rin again. He had tried to get the other to share his bed before like they used to as kids, but Rin’s lack of reaction lead Haruka to believe he had been rejected, so he pulled out the futon instead. Rin asserted that this situation wasn’t normal, blaming the mix up on Haruka’s girly name. How rude, Rin is the one who proudly introduces himself as having a girly name. It had to be his fault. He told Rin this, but Rin shot the blame back. Haruka couldn’t help but face Rin and lean closer. Rin had to know it was his fault. Rin copied his movements, moving his own face closer, still blaming Haruka. Getting more caught in the moment, Haruka moved even closer, not even focusing on the argument anymore, but on Rin. Rin was about to move even closer, when he realised how close their faces were getting and pulled away. This finally made Haruka realise exactly how caught up in each other they had gotten and also made him realise he had been staring at Rin’s lips.

Rin’s flustered escape from a potential moment for a kiss, to run to the front desk and protest about their shared sleeping arrangements, was disappointing to say the least. He could have sworn Rin had also been returning the lip staring favour. Rin had said he admired Haruka, right? Rin never had any problem invading Haruka’s personal space before. Wouldn’t Rin want to kiss him, too? Haruka couldn’t recall ever wanting to kiss anyone but the moment Rin had jokingly threatened to plant a smooch on him after they had won their first relay still stuck in Haruka’s brain. Had Rin actually done it, Haruka wouldn’t have minded. The thought stuck with him throughout the entire first few months of Rin’s absence, so when he finally saw him again, Haruka had acted like nothing but a lovesick puppy. The disaster that followed still hurt to think about.

Rin finally returned, looking disgruntled and avoiding eye contact at all costs. ‘She said there are no other rooms. We’re stuck here.’

‘We’ll just be sleeping, it doesn’t matter.’ Haruka slid his bag off his shoulder and placed it on the bed. He wondered if he should feel offended at how Rin was acting.

The door to the bathroom clicked open and there was another sound of shock from Rin. ‘You’ve GOT to be kidding me…’ Haruka heard him mutter. Haruka looked into the bathroom and saw what Rin was freaking out about: an all glass shower. He had never seen a shower like that.

‘You act as if you’ve never showered around other people.’ Haruka stared at Rin. The flustered face he got in return was kind of cute… only kind of.

‘Those are locker room showers, and everyone is still in their swimsuits.’ Rin stammered.

With a raised eyebrow, Haruka said, ‘we won’t be in the same room while showering. Does it matter? Besides, we’ve gone to onsens before.’

Rin ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. ‘I must have made a mistake when I made the reservation.’ He muttered.

Now Haruka was getting annoyed, and actually feeling offended. ‘I’m taking a shower and going to sleep. Do what you want.’ He gathered his toiletries and retreated into the bathroom.

The other boy was sending very mixed signals. He had confessed to admiring him, his host parents talked about how much Rin had talked about him (which was a lot, judging by their knowledge of all things Haruka). The normally touchy-feely Rin was freaking out about sharing a bed, an opportunity for a kiss, and an intimate bathroom. Haruka had no idea how to react to this as he prepared for his shower and got clean.

Haruka could easily label his other friends. Makoto was his close childhood best friend, Nagisa and Rei were like younger brothers, and Gou was like a younger sister. Where did Rin fit on the spectrum? Was Rin just a rival? No, a rival didn’t stir the feelings in his heart that Rin did. Haruka’s heart palpitated every time they raced, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. He also found his attention was always drawn to Rin, no matter what. Rin had this ability to make the world disappear around them.

Could he be a friend? No, just friends weren’t hyper aware of each other and didn’t get so caught up in each other the way he and Rin did. Rin was… just Rin. There was no other way to put it, Haruka thought as he scrubbed his hair.

After his shower, Haruka opened the door and saw Rin sitting on the bed with a sheepish expression. ‘Are you sure you’re okay with this?’ He asked. Haruka nodded.

‘You should take a shower. We’ve had a long day.’ Rin didn’t protest and went to take his own shower. Haruka curled up on the bed and tried to relax. It was late and it would be easier if he was already asleep when Rin emerged from the shower and got into bed. Unfortunately, Haruka was still very much awake when the water from the bathroom shut off. The bathroom door opened and judging by Rin’s agitated expression, he had been thinking too much again. Haruka sighed and got up to brush his teeth, realising he had forgotten to do that. Rin did so as well, both of them being mindful to keep their arms from touching.

Teeth clean, the awkward moment for them to actually get in the bed arrived. The pair stood in front of the bed, staring at it. ‘Do… you want to get in first?’ Rin asked.

‘Let’s get in together.’ Haruka said. It would be less awkward that way. Rin decided not to argue, and they settled on the bed, backs faced firmly away from each other.

There were a few moments of silence before Rin muttered about how unbelievable their situation was. ‘It won’t matter once you’re asleep, just go to sleep.’ Haruka said. Rin had to agree and turned off the light. There were a few more moments of silence before Rin spoke again.

Rin mentioned their first meeting, and admitted how amazing he had found Haruka in that moment. At the time, Haruka didn’t want to remember, but the red haired boy he had seen crying after their race had stuck in his memory no matter what Haruka did. The way Rin moved in the water was different to any other swimmer Haruka had encountered at the time. Imagine his annoyance when said boy appeared at his school. Rin continued to confess how much swimming with Haruka meant to him. Haruka remembered a year previously, to the words he had screamed at Rin. His world had gone dark three times, thinking he’d never swim with him again, he also felt lost when he didn’t know why he was so upset about losing his spot in Rin’s life. He then remembered how relieved he felt when he realised Rin felt the same way about wanting to swim in a relay together. Shyly, Haruka admitted to remembering their first meeting as well. This made Rin turn onto his back and bring up their tied race from the spring. Rin had promised to make his cold expression hot, and he had delivered on that promise. The thrill of that race had been like nothing Haruka had experienced. Would all professional races be that way? No matter what, Haruka knew he still wanted to swim with Rin in the future. With that decision, Haruka clenched his fist. ‘Rin, remember your promise before that race?’

Rin made a surprised noise. ‘What about it?’

After a moment, Haruka admitted, ‘you did make my cold expression hot.’ He curled up a little more, rather embarrassed. Rin chuckled, and bade Haruka a goodnight.

The first thing Haruka was aware of hearing in the morning was a gasp. When he fully shifted into consciousness, he realised he was clinging to something solid and warm. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a blushing Rin. Their close proximity startled Haruka for a moment, but he played it off by tilting his head to the side. ‘What’s the plan for today?’ Rin promised Haruka would find out when they got to the location he had in mind.

After getting ready, they ate a quick breakfast, shyly meeting each other’s eyes from time to time. Once at the train station, Haruka wanted to try something. He stood super close to Rin, and when Rin didn’t shift away, Haruka was happy. As they waited for the train, Rin surprised Haruka again by asking him what he would do if he did find a dream. At that moment, the train pulled into the station. They were alone in their carriage, but Rin still sat next to Haruka. There was a rather awkward atmosphere, considering how they had woken up that morning, but neither of them wanted to move. Rin then spotted a pool outside, and pointed it out to Haruka, leaning super close as he did so. Haruka thought back to the previous night and their wasted chance for a kiss, and wanted to kiss Rin again. He made himself turn to look out the window, at what Rin was showing him. The pool was nice, but Haruka found himself glancing at Rin’s reflection more than anything.

When they finally made it to Rin’s planned destination, Haruka was apprehensive. Why were they at a pool for internationally recognised swimmers? How could they, mere high school students, compare? Still, the sight of his element was tempting. It was an impressive pool, and Rin assured him they could swim. In his depression, Haruka hadn’t packed a swimsuit, but Rin let Haruka borrow one of his. Sharing a bed is out of the question, but indirect groin contact is okay? Haruka decided not to focus on that.

Once out on the pool deck, Rin spotted the Australian national swim team. The group surprised Haruka. They looked like an ordinary swim team, just doing average warm ups. Rin offered Haruka the choice between the competition pool and the recreational pool. It almost felt like a challenge, and Haruka could never say no to a challenge from Rin. He had to know what it felt like to stand on those starting blocks.

Taking hesitant steps, Haruka approached the block. He stepped onto it and stared out at the pool. Then a member of the Australian team took to the block next to Haruka. Before he dove in, he greeted Haruka with a smile and welcomed him into the pool. As the swimmer dived, a bright light flashed in front of Haruka’s eyes. It was the same scenario he had seen before in his nightmare, only this time, everything was bathed in a bright light. Rin’s assurances of not losing home, all of his friends caring about him, Rin’s admiration, the low key environment the Australian professional swimmers seemed to have, how friendly these strangers were being, it was all right in front of him. Haruka knew he wanted to continue experiencing this. The challenge of racing all kinds of different swimmers and seeing all kinds of different sights, he wanted it all. He pictured himself flying off the starting block, with wings. This was the world he wanted to be in. Opening his eyes, Haruka knew he had made his decision. ‘Haru,’ Rin called out to him. Sharing a look and a smile, Haruka agreed they should get swimming too.

Racing against Rin in the international pool in Sydney had been exhilarating. The Australian team even took them on for a few practice races. Both Haruka and Rin still had work to do, but Haruka knew it would be worth it. As he watched Rin laugh with a few of the other swimmers, Haruka felt his heart flutter. He now had his dream, a dream that mirrored Rin’s. He and Rin would be meeting each other on the international swimming circuit soon enough and that thought sent a jolt of anticipation through Haruka.

A few hours later, when both of their stomachs grumbled, Rin persuaded Haruka to leave the pool so they could go eat lunch. As they left the swimming centre, Haruka couldn’t help but keep glancing at Rin. ‘Swimming with the pros was great, wasn’t it? I’ll need to polish up my times.’ Rin grinned as he spoke. His excitement was contagious.

‘Yeah, it was. I’m glad we ran into them.’ Haruka admitted. Rin gave him a pleasantly surprised look, before smiling and resting his arm around Haruka’s shoulders as they walked. Haruka blushed slightly and turned his head away from the other.

They ate a late lunch of meat pies from a food truck. It wasn’t mackerel, but it was decent. After that, Rin lead Haruka to an aquarium. Being surrounded by the fish and water was peaceful, and sharing the moment with Rin was pleasant. Would their shared future have more moments like this? Even professional swimmers needed off time, right? As they observed the fish, Haruka felt his shoulder occasionally brush against Rin’s. It was fleeting but nice.

On their way back to the hotel, they got more street food. As they walked next to each other, Haruka felt tempted to take Rin’s hand. He settled for occasionally letting their fingers brush as they moved. Haruka was happy Rin didn’t move his hand away and even seemed to be returning the gesture.

As the sun was setting, they sat on the roof patio of their hotel, enjoying the soft breeze. ‘I still can’t believe I came in close second to an actual pro. That’s lightyears ahead of where I was in middle school.’ Rin was still caught up on one of his races from earlier. Haruka was content to let him talk, taking in the sunset and Rin’s infectious enthusiasm. He couldn’t contain his small smile or bright eyes when he thought about the races at the international pool either.

After getting ready for bed and getting under the covers, Rin was already planning for the next day. ‘I’m going running at six tomorrow morning, you’re welcome to join me.’ Once again, their backs were to each other on the bed.

‘Sure, I’ll go. Would we be able to see the sunrise?’ Haruka didn’t need to look to know Rin was grinning because of his words.

‘Yeah, we could. I want to eat breakfast and get some running done before our flight tomorrow evening, but seeing the sunrise would be nice. I also promised Momo I’d get him a souvenir.’ Haruka made a noise of agreement.

The silence that came after was tense like it had been the night before. Haruka still had energy buzzing through him from his decision today. He was going to become a pro swimmer, and so was Rin. They’d travel around the world together, doing what they did best. The annoyingly persistent kid he had met in elementary school had ended up becoming his biggest source of motivation for his beloved sport and one of the most important people in his life. That same kid had broken his heart three times, and had mended it as well. The little boy who had promised to show him a sight he had never seen before had showed him what his dream could be, if he only reached for it. Now, Haruka knew he was going to reach for it, and it was all thanks to Rin.

Haruka clenched his fist before turning onto his other side, facing Rin. The movement made Rin turn on his back to look at him. Their eyes locked for a moment before Haruka leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Rin’s lips. The other boy froze in shock for a moment, before kissing back. They pulled away, and even though the kiss had been innocent, there was a promise. No more words were spoken as they cuddled together and fell asleep.

A shrill sound from Rin’s phone woke them up in the morning. With a few tired noises, the two pair disentangled themselves from each other and got out of bed to face the dawn.

True to their word, they watched the sunrise. Haruka was determined to see as much of the event as he could, because of how early he had to wake up to see it. Rin seemed to have other plans. He sat on the railing they were standing in front of. He admitted he was going to train in Australia for a while, to get revenge for the despair he felt in middle school. Rin’s determination reminded Haruka of the energy they both had yesterday. It was with a proud smile and shining eyes Haruka told Rin he had found his dream too.

‘We’ll swim together again, right?’ Haruka asked, as they watched two doves fly off into the sunrise.

‘Oh, hell yeah.’ Rin grinned, also watching the doves. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. ‘Hey, Haru?’ Don’t say my name so sweetly, Haruka couldn’t help but think as he looked over at Rin. ‘What did that kiss mean, last night?’

‘It was a promise, wasn’t it? Even if we have to train apart for a while, we’ll meet again. We always do.’ Haruka said. After all they had been through together, there was no doubt in his mind they would swim together again. Rin seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he chuckled and looked at Haruka.

‘That almost sounds like a lovers vow.’ Rin joked.

A small smirk crossed Haruka’s face. ‘It could be. It’s romantic, right?’

Rin’s eyes widened, hearing his own words thrown back at him, and then he smiled a tender smile he only seemed to give Haruka. ‘You always surprise me, you know that?’ He edged closer to Haruka, eyes trailing to his lips.

‘Says the one who brought me on this surprise trip.’ Haruka’s smile indicated his jest. He also moved closer to Rin as he spoke, eyes on the other’s lips as well. They both chuckled before closing the distance between their lips. This kiss wasn’t as chaste as their first one, but the innocence was still there.

When the kiss broke, Rin pulled away to look at Haruka. He gave a sheepish chuckle. ‘What?’ Haruka asked, almost feeling worried.

‘I’ve… wanted to kiss you for a long time. Why do you think I joked about kissing you after our first relay?’ Rin had a blush on his face as he admitted this.

Haruka gave a soft sigh and averted his eyes. After a moment, he spoke in a voice so soft Rin couldn’t hear. After a little prompting, Haruka finally said, ‘I’ve felt the same.’ The confession was embarrassing but seeing the way Rin’s face lit up was worth it. He reached over and took Haruka’s hand. Haruka tightened the grip, not wanting to let Rin go.

A jogger running down the street reminded them of what they were supposed to be doing. They forced themselves to look away from each other. Not releasing each other’s hands, they started walking down the street, in search of an early breakfast.

The rest of the day passed in a joyous blur, sharing quick kisses and sneakily holding hands as they went about their business. Haruka was so happy it almost felt like a dream.

However, once on the plane back home to Japan and away from the honeymoon atmosphere that was Australia, they were forced to see the looming problem. How would they tell their friends? Should they tell their friends in the first place?

‘I… want to tell Sousuke as soon as possible. I mean, I’m pretty sure he’s known I’ve liked you for ages.’ Rin said, eyes not meeting Haruka’s but hand gripping Haruka’s on their shared armrest. Haruka squeezed Rin’s hand reassuringly, which made Rin meet his eyes.

‘I want to tell Makoto, too. We should also tell Gou, Nagisa, and Rei.’ His friends, their friends, were good people. Haruka could only hope they would be happy for them.

Rin smiled and nodded. ‘They still accepted me when I was horrible to them out of nowhere. I’m sure they’ll be happy for us.’ Tears shimmered in Haruka’s eyes at those words, alarming Rin. ‘What’s wrong?’

Haruka squeezed Rin’s hand even tighter. ‘I feel like I’ve spent so much time losing you.’ Haruka had to avert his eyes as he admitted this, but the pain in his voice gave more away more than he wished. He didn’t see it but he knew Rin’s face fell. Rin kissed the side of Haruka’s head.

‘You won’t be losing me anymore. I promise I’ll come back from Australia and be normal this time. I’ll keep in touch with you, and we can keep each other grounded.’ These words earned a hesitant smile from Haruka.

When they made it through customs at the airport, Haruka was surprised to see Makoto waiting for them. He felt extremely guilty as he approached his best friend. Surely, Makoto had to be upset with him after the mean things he said. His worries were unfounded, of course. Makoto’s warm welcome surprised and relieved Haruka.

When the three of them made it to the stadium nationals would be held at, Haruka stared at the building with determination. He now had his dream, and here was his first step to reaching for it. When Rin walked away to join his own team, Haruka called out to him. ‘Thank you.’ Haruka wished he could say more, wished he could kiss Rin again, but then wasn’t the time. Judging by Rin’s smile, he knew and felt the same way.

Discussing his dream with his team, and apologising to Makoto felt liberating, almost as liberating as finding his dream to begin with. Rei and Nagisa crying the following night were not things he expected, but Haruka assured them they would all still be teammates no matter what.

 

Iwatobi may have won sixth place in the relay, but Haruka fortunately still had a few scouts contacting him. There were other things to take care of first. Rin and Haruka agreed they should tell their best friends about their relationship together, once the bustle surrounding nationals was over. Because of school and swim practice, they weren’t able to see each other much. It didn’t matter, because Haruka knew he had plenty of time to be with Rin in the future. For right now, he was sitting next to Rin in a small café booth, across from Makoto and Yamazaki. It was a few days before Samezuka’s cultural festival, so they all had time to meet.

‘So, what is this important thing you need to tell us?’ Makoto asked. Haruka could tell by his smile he already had an idea.

Rin and Haruka reached for each other’s hands on the table top. ‘We’re dating.’ Rin said. Yamazaki and Makoto shared a look that could only be described as long-suffering, before looking back at their respective best friends.

‘We know.’ Yamazaki’s small smile was almost annoying. It didn’t stop Haruka’s eyes from widening. He also knew Rin’s eyes had done the same.

‘We’ve known you two have had a thing for each other since we were twelve.’ Makoto was wearing his “understanding” smile.

_You’re not mad?_ Haruka asked Makoto with his eyes. Makoto’s eyes assured him he wasn’t.

‘It’s about time, really.’ Yamazaki’s smirk was definitely annoying. Rin made an indignant noise.

‘It is. I was wondering when you two would admit you liked each other.’ Makoto’s grin made Haruka want to huff with impatience. Still, he was happy his best friend supported his relationship.

 

The day before Rin left for Australia and Haruka and Makoto settled into Tokyo for good, Rin called Haruka out to Iwatobi elementary. He had been told to meet Rin at the cherry blossom tree there. Secretly, Haruka had always thought of it as their cherry blossom tree. After fondly reminiscing the time they had already spent together, Haruka wanted to make the time they would spend together in the future the best ever. ‘Rin… from now on, let’s get along.’ Haruka smiled. Rin smiled and agreed, taking Haruka’s hand as they joined their underclassmen.

 

Tokyo had the best training facilities, and the national Japanese swim team was based there. It was the perfect location, so Haruka chose a good university there. Exchanging texts with Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei were nice, and his weekly Skype talks with Rin were even better. This time, Haruka knew they would both make it.

**Author's Note:**

> Makoto and Sousuke totally team up to tease their friends. :P Also the title is from the song from Anastasia, it just fits rinharu to a T.


End file.
